Overview of my Ratings
Here you’ll see a brief overview of my ratings. For a more in-depth deep dive, click on the individual product names below.
Nootropic Comparisons
In this section you’ll find my personal comparisons between the most popular nootropic stacks.
Qualia Mind vs. Mind Lab Pro
Qualia Mind contains 154 capsules and thereby has a much bigger bottle than Mind Lab Pro with 60 capsules
Qualia Mind
Pros:
- Best effect
- Focus, flow, awareness
- 28 active ingredients
- Trustworthy company
- cGMP certified production
Cons:
- Relatively high price
Mind Lab Pro
Pros:
- Focusing effect
- 11 active ingredients
- Value for money
- GMP certified production
Cons:
- Anonymous founders
Qualia Mind vs. Mind Lab Pro – Conclusion
I prefer Neurohacker’s Qualia Mind over Opti-Nutra’s Mind Lab Pro for two reasons:
- I love the effects of Qualia Mind: Focus, productivity, presence & awareness
- I trust the company and the team at Neurohacker due to their interviews and podcasts.
Alpha Brain vs. Mind Lab Pro
The effects of Alpha Brain and Mind Lab Pro are similar but Alpha Brain causes unwanted side effects for me.
Alpha Brain
Pros:
- Focusing effect
- 10 active ingredients
Cons:
- Unwanted side effects (heart palpitations)
- Proprietary blends
Mind Lab Pro
Pros:
- Focusing effect
- 11 active ingredients
- Value for money
- GMP certified production
Cons:
- Anonymous founders
Alpha Brain vs. Mind Lab Pro – Conclusion
I prefer Opti Nutra’s Mind Lab Pro over Onnit’s Alpha Brain. The focusing effect feels similar between the two but Alpha Brain had negative side effects for me.
Qualia Mind vs. Alpha Brain
Alpha Brain has no chance against Qualia Mind
Qualia Mind
Pros:
- Best effect
- Focus, flow, awareness
- 28 active ingredients
- Trustworthy company
- cGMP certified production
Cons:
- Relatively high price
Alpha Brain
Pros:
- Focusing effect
- 10 active ingredients
Cons:
- Unwanted side effects (heart palpitations)
- Proprietary blends
Qualia Mind vs. Alpha Brain – Conclusion
Qualia Mind is the clear winner over Alpha Brain for two reasons:- The effects of Qualia Mind are way stronger: Focus, productivity, presence & awareness
- Alpha Brain made me feel really uncomfortable, nervous, and heart palpitations.
Qualia Mind vs. Qualia Focus
Qualia Mind has the better effect but Qualia Focus costs just a fraction of Qualia Mind
Qualia Mind
Pros:
- Best effect
- Focus, flow, awareness
- 28 active ingredients
- Trustworthy company
- cGMP certified production
Cons:
- Relatively high price
Qualia Focus
Pros:
- Focusing effect
- 14 active ingredients
- Great value for money
- Trustworthy company
- cGMP certified production
Cons:
- Less effect than Qualia Mind
Qualia Mind vs. Qualia Focus – Conclusion
In terms of effectiveness Qualia Focus can’t keep up with Qualia Mind. However Qualia Focus has a great price starting at $ 39.50 for a one-time purchase. If your budget is tight, Qualia Focus is a great choice. If you want the strongest effect, go for Qualia Mind.
Alpha Brain vs. Alpha Brain Black Label
Onnit managed to get rid of the side effects of Alpha Brain with the Black Label version but it’s price is very high.
Alpha Brain
Pros:
- Focusing effect
- 10 active ingredients
Cons:
- Unwanted side effects (heart palpitations)
- Proprietary blends
Alpha Brain Black Label
Pros:
- Focusing effect
- 8 active ingredients
Cons:
- Very high price
- Uses maltodextrin and sucrose as fillers
Alpha Brain vs. Alpha Brain Black Label – Conclusion
If I had to decide between those two, I’d choose the Black Label version because the regular Alpha Brain gives me negative side effects. However I don’t think that the high price of the Black Label version is worth it.
Mind Lab Pro vs. Performance Lab Mind
Mind Lab Pro
Pros:
- Focusing effect
- 11 active ingredients
- Value for money
- GMP certified production
Cons:
- Anonymous founders
Performance Lab Mind
Pros:
- Good for biohackers who want to create their own stack and combine the product with other supplements
- 4 active ingredients
Cons:
- No effect on it’s own
- Anonymous founders
Mind Lab Pro vs. Performance Lab Mind – Conclusion
Mind Lab Pro has an effect on it’s own. Performance Lab Mind is designed to be combined with other supplements. So it’s hard to compare these two but as a single product I would get Mind Lab Pro.
Qualia Mind Caffeine Free
In the caffeine-free version of Qualia Mind, two compounds are missing and one is in a lower dosage compared to the standard version:
- Anhydrous Caffeine (0 vs. 90 mg)
- Theobromine (0 vs. 100 mg)
- DHA (as Docosahexaenoic Acid from Algae) (80 vs. 200 mg)
Master the Basics
The bad (or good?) news is: There is no pill that can fix an unhealthy lifestyle.
Get the basics right for your mind and body:
- 8 hours of high-quality sleep
- No coffee after 11 am
- Meditate, do yoga or some sort of embodied cognition exercise at least two to three times a week
- Find some inspiration on my biohacking habits list
Footnotes
*If you use those coupon codes, you get the best price plus an additional discount and I get a small commission that supports this blog and my biohacking nerd experiments, a true win-win 🙂
This Post Has 5 Comments
Hello Max, thank you for sharing your experiences.
Do you have any knowledge of negative effects of nootropika and ADHD stimulants like Medikinet (MPH)?
Is there any research that notroopika can benefit people with ADHD?
Thanks in advance,
Felix
Hi Felix,
I am not a doctor and have no experience with nootropics and people with ADHD.
Ask your doctor 🙂
Best wishes
Max
Hi Max, I personally found Qualia Mind better to, especially for creativity and an overall more centred, serene and and almost spiritual feeling, at peace if you like. A question I have for you is, why isn’t Lion’s Mane in the formula because it was in the original two step product and would you recommend adding it?
Paolo
Hi Paolo,
that is a good question. I don’t know why they removed Lion’s Mane from the formula. My guess is that it just did not add any more effect.
But as a biohacker, why not try it out for yourself if you notice any difference? Let me know what your result is.
✌🏻
Max
Hey guys,
I’ve updated this article in October 2022 with Alpha Brain Black Label plus the newest updates to the Neurohacker product line plus I’ve added Opti-Nutra’s Performance Lab Mind.
I also removed some of the old content to make this article more concise and easier to read for you. For an in-depth review of each product you can still checkout the main review articles as linked above.
Max